Digital Commons Network^™

Implementing Mindfulness Practices With Parents Of Young Children In A Low-Socioeconomic Status Neighborhood, Andrew T. Roach, Josephine Mhende, Brian A. Barger, Douglas A. Roberts

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether instruction in mindfulness practices would results in improved self-reported mindfulness and reduced depression, anxiety, and family stress in parents of young children living in a low socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhood.

Methods: The study utilized a pretest-posttest group design to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mindfulness Ambassador Council-Interactive curriculum with attendees in a parent support program. Participants (n=15) were recruited from families with young children who received support from a community-based organization in one low-SES neighborhood in Atlanta. Mental health assessments, measures of family stress and parenting competency, and a demographic …

The Intergenerational Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Children’S Emergency Department Utilization And Depression And Anxiety In South Carolina, Eboni E. Haynes

Theses and Dissertations

Adult exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is common in the U.S., with over half of adults reporting exposure to at least one ACE. Childhood trauma is associated with risk factors for premature death, disability, poor physical and mental health, and lower quality of life in adults. Traumatic experiences also influence parenting behaviors later in life, placing offspring at an increased risk of ACE exposure. Few studies have explored the intergenerational effects of ACEs on the health and well-being of offspring. This study sought to identify whether associations existed between caregiver ACE exposures and emergency department (ED) utilization for sick …

Daily Technology Interruptions And Emotional And Relational Well-Being., Brandon T. Mcdaniel Phd, Michelle Drouin

Health Services and Informatics Research

The current abundance of technology in daily life creates opportunities for interruptions in couple interactions, termed technoference or phubbing. The current study examined reports from both partners in 173 romantic relationships who completed daily surveys on technoference and relational well-being measures across 14 days. By using daily diary data, we were able to examine within-person associations and more closely approximate everyday life. Utilizing multilevel modeling, we found that on days when participants rated more technoference than usual, they felt worse about their relationship, perceived more conflict over technology use, rated their face-toface interactions as less positive, and experienced more negative …

Estimated Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated With Reported Depression In College Students, Sharon Jalene, Jennifer Pharr, Guogen Shan, Brach Poston

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Research

Depression is a serious but treatable health issue that affects college students at an alarming rate. Improved cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) decreases depression risk and severity but this relationship has not been fully evaluated in the college student population. Non-exercise estimated CRF (eCRF) could be used to identify students at risk for or suffering from depression. This study investigated the associations of depression and eCRF in college students. Participants (N = 437) completed a survey which included demographic and student-status questions, eCRF variables, and a validated depression instrument. Descriptive, chi-square, t-test, regression, and odds ratio analyses were employed. Depression was associated …

Post-Stroke Depression Screening And Interventions, Shwetaben Pinak Patel

DNP and Student Works

Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most commonly seen neuropsychiatric condition in stroke patients' population. Depressive symptoms in addition to the stroke symptoms, patients may have negative outcome with increased morbidity, mortality, and lesser functional recovery. Stroke patients may suffer from depression in acute as well as chronic phases. Early identification of depressive symptoms in outpatient, managing, and help patients overcome from those symptoms are very crucial to achieve positive outcome in stroke patients. To facilitate depression screening at the primary care level one should select a screening tool with high specificity, and validity for this patient population. There should be …

Implementing A Depression Screening And Referral Program In An African American Church Community, Mary S. Garner

Dissertations

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to launch a depression screening and stigma reduction program in a nondenominational church that serves mainly African Americans. Potential links between stigma, such as beliefs related to mental illness, and how education can influence help-seeking and health literacy among ministerial leaders were identified.

Gender Inequality Identified As An Underlying Cause Of Depression In Thai Women, Somporn Rungreangkulkij, Ingkata Kotnara, Nilubol Rujiraprasert, Napaphat Khuandee

Journal of International Women's Studies

Depression is increasing worldwide and is the fourth leading cause of global burden of disease. It is one of the most common disorders affecting women worldwide, highlighting the fact that gender is a critical determinant of mental health and illness. This qualitative research employs a gender lens to discover the causes of depression in women in Thailand. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 women who currently experience depression. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then evaluated using gender analysis. The findings revealed two themes relating to gender inequality, namely that women encountered chronic stress as a result of having …

Clinical Characteristics And Neuroanatomical Predictors Of Acute Antidepressant Outcome For Patients With Comorbid Depression And Mild Cognitive Impairment, Jeffrey N. Motter

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Older adults presenting with both a depressive disorder (DEP) and cognitive impairment (CI) represent a unique, understudied population. The classification of cognitive impairment severity continues to be debated though it has recently been subtyped into late (LMCI) versus early (EMCI) stages. Previous studies have found associations between treatment outcome and both cortical thickness and white matter hyperintensities (WMH), though report inconsistent directionality and affected regions. In this study, we examined baseline clinical characteristics and neuroanatomical features as prognostic indicators for older adults with comorbid DEP and CI participating in an open antidepressant trial. EMCI is hypothesized to have greater …

Diet, Inflammation, Gut Microbiome, And Mental Health, Ashley R. Polokowski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3 FAs) are an essential fatty acid necessary for healthy development in mammals. They possess anti-inflammatory properties and have more recently been shown to impact gut microbiota, both factors hypothesized to be associated with depression and anxiety. Thus, empirical efforts have begun to examine the benefit of ω-3 FAs as a treatment option for various psychological disorders. Although there is evidence that ω-3 FAs have favorable outcomes on depressive symptoms, the relationship between ω-3 FAs and anxiety and the pathways by which ω-3 FAs produce beneficial health effects are poorly understood. Both inflammation and the gut microbiome …

Depression In Black Men: One Church’S Solution, Dwayne T. Baskin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the Black Church’s influence on Pentecostal African-American men who are depressed, and how the church may assist these men to heal from the wounds of despair through a Pentecostal experience. While many Pentecostal African-American men have matriculated through the ranks of leadership, establishing successful businesses, churches, ministries, and organizational denominations; they are teetering on the edge of an emotional and spiritual breakdown. Researchers have found that African-American men are understudied and underdiagnosed as it pertains to depression. Eight African-American Pentecostal men were interviewed and given questionnaires to examine how depression affected them while maintaining leadership roles in …

The Impact Of Racial Microaggressions And Major Discriminatory Events On Mental Health, Florence Lui

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current study, a secondary data analysis, sought to determine the number and nature of latent groups for experiences of spectrum racial discrimination (i.e., both major and microaggressive racial discrimination) in a sample of emerging adults from a people of color (POC)-majority public university setting in the United States, and to understand the role of socio-demographic variables in defining each group. In addition, the study aimed to ascertain the extent to which endorsing spectrum racial discrimination experiences predicted anxiety and/or depression above the effects of general, non-race-related stress. Finally, the analyses gauged the mediating and/or moderating role of coping in …

Suicide Throughout Military Personnel And Veterans: A Literature Review, Brandon Cottrell

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Suicide among uniformed servicemembers and veterans is hauntingly common, with numbers increasing despite growing efforts to address potential problem sources. Numerous programs, strategies, research studies and system-wide efforts continue to attempt to stifle the losses. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to evaluate the gravity of the multifactorial situation, and potentially offer insight into future plans to stop these very preventable tragedies.

Methods: A database search was conducted for studies from January 2010 or more recent using PubMed, Elsevier, ScienceDirect, and UpToDate. The search terms/keywords used were “veterans, suicide, prevention, reduction, treatment, strategies, therapy, medications, antidepressant, selective …

Capitalizing On Healthy Lawyers: The Business Case For Law Firms To Promote And Prioritize Lawyer Well-Being, Jarrod F. Reich

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This Article is the first to make the business case for firms to promote and prioritize lawyer well-being. For more than three decades, quantitative research has demonstrated that lawyers suffer from depression, anxiety, and addiction far in excess of the general population. Since that time, there have been many calls within and outside the profession for changes to be made to promote, prioritize, and improve lawyer well-being, particularly as many aspects of the current law school and law firm models exacerbate mental health and addiction issues, as well as overall law student and lawyer distress. These calls for change, made …

Not Immune To Mental Health Problems: The Prevalence Of Depression And Anxiety In Student-Athletes, Lindsay L. Craig, Robert E. Seifer, Ashley M. Stripling, John E. Lewis

Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches and Lectures

No abstract provided.

Depression And Diabetes In Older Adults: Cognitive And Functional Consequences, Madison B. Lenox, Victor Tran, Diana Hincapie, Ashley M. Stripling

Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches and Lectures

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Maternal Separation And Adolescent Stress On Microglial Levels In The Adult Brain, Joseph Noel-Torres, James Porter, Phd, Kimberly Santos-Avilés, Anixa Hernández-López

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Early life stress, such as maternal separation, has been associated with depressive-like symptoms in adult rats. Previous studies have linked depression with reduced activation of microglia in different parts of the brain. Microglia are important for neuronal transmission and plasticity, both of which are affected by stress. However, whether developmental stress alters microglial function to cause depression in adulthood is not fully understood. We hypothesized that exposing rats to early life stress would lead to depressive-like symptoms in adults that would be associated with reduce microglial levels in the brain. To test this hypothesis, male and female rats were maternally …

From Sad To Mad: Anger As A Form Of Depression In The African American Community, Adriana Wilson, John E. Lewis

Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches and Lectures

No abstract provided.

Advances In Management Of Neuropsychiatric Syndromes In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Jeffrey Cummings, Aaron Ritter, Kasia Rothenberg

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Purpose of Review Neuropsychiatric syndromes (NPS) are common in neurodegenerative disorders (NDD). This review describes the role of NPS in the diagnosis of NDD, criteria for the diagnosis of NPS, management of NPS, and agents in clinical trials for NPS. Recent Findings NPS play an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of NDD. Consensus diagnostic criteria have evolved for psychosis, depression, agitation, and apathy in NDD. With one exception—pimavanserin is approved for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions in Parkinson’s disease—there are no drugs approved by the FDA for treatment of NPS in NDD. Trials show that atypical antipsychotics reduce …

Relationships Between Fatigue And Depression In Patients With Coronary Artery Diseases (Cad), Wen-Ting Yeh, Shu-Fen Su

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

This study examined the relationships between fatigue and depression of Chinese patients with CAD.Age has a positive relationship with fatigue and depression. Fatigue was positively related to depression (0.662, p <0.01). Patients who had a PCI through radial artery puncture had lower fatigue (p<0.05) and depression(p<0.1).

Association Between Perinatal Substance Use And Depression/Anxiety: A Scoping Review, Ryoko Pentecost, Gwen Latendresse

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Limited evidence exists regarding the relationship between perinatal substance use (PSU) and perinatal depression/anxiety (PDA), although negative outcomes on PSU and PDA are well documented individually. This scoping review identifies associations between PSU and PDA and research gaps that inform development of future studies to improve care of childbearing women.

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Adolescent Depression, Anhedonia, And Behavioral Therapy, Alison A. Delizza

Dissertations

Adolescent depression is a significant public health problem, however the current characterization of depression as a categorical label is problematic for understanding individual phenomenology, interindividual variability, and best treatment practices (Lewinsohn, Solomon, Seeley, & Zeiss, 2000). Anhedonia has been posited as a process underlying depression that may contribute to poorer outcomes (Gabbay, 2015). The current project examines large samples of adolescents diagnosed with depression to identify common features at a symptom level and the relationship these features have with behavioral therapy outcomes. Four phases of analyses were completed to 1) examine symptomology of multiple depressed adolescent samples in order to …

Depression Screening And Treatment Among Disparity Populations In Primary Care: A Retrospective Analysis Of Electronic Health Records Data, Afsaneh Rezaeizadeh

Social Work Theses - Archive

Depression is a common and costly chronic medical illness seen in health care settings, including primary care. Disparity populations in community settings are at risk for depression, but less likely to seek treatment for symptoms. This paper explores the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up patterns of depression in nine community clinics throughout North Texas. A retrospective study design was used to analyze electronic health record data in 2017. A total of 11,803 patients visited nine community care clinics in 2017. PHQ-2 counts were collected to assess for screening rates, while PHQ-9 counts were collected to assess for follow-up rates in …

"They Smile But It's Not Real": Karen Refugees' Perceptions Of Depression, Carina Zuniga

Social Work Theses - Archive

Refugees often carry with them traumas and mental health issues, why may continue or worsen in their new resettlement country. Understanding refugee populations and their mental health needs is a critical endeavor to support them effectively during and after the resettlement process. Currently, there is a lack of research over this population's mental health and what kinds of interventions are most effective. Recently, the U.S. has resettled a proportionately high number of refugees from Burma or Myanmar, mostly from the ethnic minority group called Karen. The present study interviewed 16 Karen refugees who were receiving medical care or case management …

Factors Influencing Indonesian Male Partners’ Support In The Postpartum Period, Hilda M. Agil, Kumi Watanabe, Emiko Tanaka, Yati Afiyanti, Tokie Anme

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Lack of male partners’ postpartum support can cause postpartum depression (PPD), a serious mood disorder, in women. Thus, to prevent PPD, it is important to clarify the factors influencing male partners’ postpartum support. Methods: In total, 62 male partners of postpartum women at 1 week–6 months after delivery, living in South Jakarta, were invited by assistance from community volunteers. Focus group interviews were employed; participants were grouped depending on their residences and asked about their behaviors in supporting postpartum women. Interviews were documented using two voice recorders and two video recorders. The content analysis method and Bertalanffy’s system theory …

Comorbidity Profile Of Head And Neck Cancer Patients With And Without Depression, Michaela Frenzel

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

This population-based retrospective study used SEER-Medicare data from 2002-2010 to assess depression, comorbidity, and substance use in the elderly head and neck cancer population. Out of 3,533 head and neck cancer patients, 10.6% had depression diagnoses two years prior to cancer diagnosis, 8.9% were newly diagnosed with depression within one year after cancer diagnosis, and 44.5% of those with preexisting depression had an additional depression diagnosis within one year following cancer diagnosis. Comorbid conditions (p<0.0001) and substance use (p=0.0017) showed associations with depression prior to cancer diagnosis yet, no significant associations with incidence of depression in this head and neck cancer population. This study affirms the need for continual depression screenings in head and neck cancer patients and suggests the need for increased research into the burden of comorbid conditions and substance use within the head and neck cancer population.

Effects Of Multivitamin-Mineral Supplementation On Mental Health Among Young Adults, Ya-Hsuan Chang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The percentage of young adults who had mental illnesses has increased from 2008 to 2015. However, few existing studies investigating the potential benefits of multivitamin-mineral (MVM) supplementation on mental health focused on young adults (18-24 years of age), whose eating behaviors are often unhealthy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a MVM supplement on mental health in young adults. One hundred and thirty-three college students (Mage=20.59, SD=1.77; 80.15% female) participated in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants consumed either a MVM supplement or a placebo for 30 days. The supplement contained B Vitamins, Vitamin C, …

Disordered Eating, Depression, And Cognitive Vulnerabilities In College Women., Kelsea Visalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study tests a path model of disordered eating and symptoms of depression derived from the Hopelessness Theory of Depression (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989). The model proposes that cognitive vulnerabilities to depression will be associated with disordered eating behaviors and symptoms of depression in college women. A sample of undergraduate women (n = 181) completed self-report measures assessing disordered eating symptoms and symptoms of depression. Findings revealed that one, but not all, cognitive vulnerability was associated with disordered eating behavior, and that disordered eating behaviors and symptoms of depression are bi-directionally associated. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

The Conceptualization Of The Positive Cognitive Triad And Associations With Depressive Symptoms In Adolescents., Caroline M. Pittard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depressive symptoms during adolescence have been found to be associated with negative outcomes such as decreased academic performance, absenteeism, substance abuse, and poor physical health. The positive cognitive triad has been considered to be a protective factor against adolescent depressive symptoms. The positive cognitive triad is made up of three subfactors of cognitions, specifically, positive cognitions about the self, the world, and the future. This dissertation examined the various conceptualizations of the positive cognitive triad and their relation to depressive symptoms. These conceptualizations included considering the positive cognitive triad as a single overall protective factor (additive model), as multiple possible …

Risks And Correlates Of Intimate Partner Violence Among Lgb+ And Heterosexual College Students, Abby Sara Lachance

Master's Theses and Capstones

The issue of intimate partner violence (IPV) is widespread among members of all sexual identities. However, researchers have found sexual minority members to be at a heightened risk for experiencing IPV. This is not to say that LGBQ+ individuals are inherently more violent, but rather they experience intense stigma from the world around them. This stigma, whether it be institutionalized or enacted by peers or family members, can lead to negative health consequences such as depressive symptomology and problematic drinking behaviors. Both mental health issues such as depression and problem drinking have been shown to be linked to a higher …

Depression Mediates The Association Of Disordered Eating Behaviors And Sexual Function In Female Service Members And Veterans, Whitney S. Livingston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Poor sexual function is comprised of diminished sexual desire and arousal, presence of sexual pain, inability to reach orgasm, and low satisfaction. Worse sexual function is associated with disordered eating behavior; however, the mechanism through which this association exists remains unclear. Theory of sexual function suggests that depression mediates the association of disordered eating behaviors and poor sexual function in female service members and veterans, but this has yet to be tested empirically. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether depression mediated the association of disordered eating behaviors and sexual dysfunction.

Participants (N=511) were partnered …